Wool burring and picking machine.



No. 754,236. PATENTED MAR. s, 1904.

' G. PROUVOT.

WOOL BURRING AND PIOKING MACHINE.

I APPLICATION FILED JAN. 21, 1903- no MODEL. 4 SHBETSSHEET 1.

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No. 754,236. PATENTBD MAR. s, 1904. G.PROUVOT. WOOL BURRING AND PIGKING MACHINE.

ATPLIOATION FILED JAN. 21, 1903.

K0 MODEL. QSHEETS-BEEET 2.

W/TNESSES: /NVENTOH 26 61 02175.; flmwai BY v I A TTORNE YS.

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No. 754,236. fATENTBD MAR. 8, 1904.

I 9G. PROUVOT. WOOL BURRING AND PIOKING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 21 1903.

N0 MODEL. 4 sums-sum a.

mun n A TTOHNE rs.

No. 754,236. PATENTED MAR. 8, .1904.

' G. PROUVOT.

WOOL BURRING AND PIGKING MACHINE.

. urmcumu rum) un. 21, 1903.

no MODEL. 4 SHEETS-SHEET 4..

WITNESSES. INVENTUH 6601:9313 1 3m; #02 W 92M By fi ATTOHNE rs.

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I forms of construction which embody the ge- UNITED STATES Patented. March 8, 1904.

PATENT OFFICE.

GEoRGEs PROUVOT, OF ROUBAIX, FRANCE.

WOOLBURRING AND PICKING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 754,236, dated March 8, 1904;

Application filed January 21, 1903. Serial No. 139,935. (N0 modeli) lb ZtZZ whmn it may con/067%:

Be it known that I, GEORGES Pnonvo'r, a citizen of the Republic of France,and a resident of Roubaix, Department of Nord, France, have invented a new and Improved Wool Burring and Picking Machine, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention relates to lmprovements in wool picking and burring machines by which I seek to mechanically clean locks. of wool from vegetable burs, dirt, and other refuse which may be entangled therewith.

In the treatment of wool bymachinery to remove burs and refuse therefrom previous to carding special mechanical devices must be employed to remove the burs without tearing the fibers, and in my invention I have produced an efficient mechanism which combs the locks of wool in order to loosen the fibers or filaments and to bring them into parallel.

relation, thus opening the locks and spreading out and loosening the fibers, so that they are thoroughly cleaned without unnecessary .straining or tearing.

in which similar characters of reference indi-. .cate corresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a portion of a wool burrmg and picking machine constructed in accordance with my invention.

Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a plan view partly broken away. Fig. 4 is a vertical section through the group of feed-rolls.

inafter described. Figs. 8 and 9 are views in vertical section and in sectional front elevation of another embodiment of the invention. Fig. 10 is a detail view of the gearing for the feed mechanism of Figs. 8 and 9.

In the drawings I have represented two Fig. 2 .is a vertical cross-section on the line 2 2 of Figs. 5, 6, and 7 are detail fragmentary views of parts to be here- .wherein the numeral 5 indicates a portion of the framework of a wool burring and picking machine, said framework being equipped with bearings 6, adapted to support the shaft 7 of a rotary picker-cylinder 8, the latter having a multiplicity of teeth 9. The shaft of this rotarycylinder is adapted to be rotarily driven in any suitable way, and said cylinder 8 may be of any preferred construction known to the art. In the embodiment of the cylinder shown by the drawings it is built up of a series of disks having saw-teeth;

but it will be understood that the active surface of said pickercylinder may be formed by one or more toothed wires, as is well known to the art. In front of the pickercylinder is disposed a group or set of feedrolls 1011 12, which are disposed in operative relation to the periphery of the picker-cylinder, each roll being provided with a multiplicity of fineteeth. The rolls comprising the set or group are of different diameters, and in the organization shown the roll 10 is larger than either of the rolls 11 12, while the roll 11 is of greater diameter than the roll 12.

In the form of construction disclosed by Figs. 1 to 7 the group of feed-rolls are mounted on swinging frames 18, one of said frames being shown moreparticularly by Fig. 5.

shaft 7 at opposite ends of the picker-cylinder, as shown by Figs. 2 and 3, said frames being thus capable of a swinging movement on the axis afforded by the picker-cylinder shaft. The frames 13 are provided with ad justable bearings 16, which accommodate the shaft 17 of the large feed -roll 10. The frames are furthermore provided with the upstanding posts 18, having bearings 19, which receive the shaft 20 of the feed-roll 11, and said frames are also provided with a post 21, having bearings 22 to accommodate the shaft 23 of the feed-roll 12. The bearings 16, with the posts 18 21, are adjustably connected to the frames 13, and this adjustable connection of the shaft-bearings to the frames may be effected by any suitable construction, one form of which is disclosed by Fig. 7, wherein the bearing is shiftable in a slot 13 of the frame. The described method of attaching the shaft-bearings adjustably to the frame enables the feed-rolls 10, 11, and 12 of the group to be adjusted relatively to each other in an independent manner. The posts 18 serve to'support the intermediate feed-roll 11 in a plane above and in cooperative relation to the la1ge'feed-roll 10, while the other posts 21 support the smaller feed-roll 12 of the group in a plane at one side of the rolls 1O 11 and in quite close relation to the active surface of the picker-cylinder 8.

24 designates a doffingbrush, having a toothed active surface disposed in cooperative relation to the toothed surface of the large feed-roll 10, and this dofling-brush has a shaft 25, which is journaled in suitable bearings 26, adjustably secured to the swinging frames 13.

Any suitable means may be provided for positively rotating the set of feed-rolls; butI prefer to drive the rolls from the shaft 7 of the picker-cylinder, the latter being provided with a sprocket-wheel 27, with which engages a sprocket-chain 28, that serves to propel a sprocket-wheel 29, secured to an end portion 3f the shaft 20 of the intermediate feed-roll l1. This shaft 20 is provided at its opposite and with a sprocket wheel 30, driving a sprocket-chain 31, which propels a sprocketwheel 32, secured to a corresponding end of 3116 shaft 23 of the small feed-roll; Said shaft 23 of the small feed-roll is provided with a spur-gear 33, which has intermeshing engagenent with. a large spur-gear 34, secured fast an end portion of the shaft 17 of the large feed-roll 10. Thus the shaft 20 is driven difectly from the picker-cylinder shaft, and it 3GIV6S to propel the shaft of the small feedoll, which in turn drives the shaft of the arge feed-roll. The intermediate and small bed-rolls 11 12 rotate in the same direction; )ut the large feed-roll 10 rotates in an oppo- :ite direction to the feed-rolls 11 12 and to the picker-cylinder 8. The dofiing-brush 24 is positively driven by gear connections with the shaft of the large feed-roll 10, and this is secured by the employment of a sprocketwheel 35, secured to the shaft 17 of the roll 10, which wheel impels a sprocket-chain 36, that engages with a sprocket-wheel 37 on the shaft 25 of the doffing'brush.

Any suitable mechanism may be employed to give the traversing movement to the swinging frames 13 and the set of feed-rolls mount ed thereon, and in the drawings I have shown an appropriate driving mechanism whereby this traversing movement may be given to the feed mechanism.

The frame 5 of the machine is equipped with bridges 38, on which are erected thever tical guides 39. These guides accommodate slidable cross-heads 40, in which are journaled the end portions of a shiftable shaft 41. The bridges 38 are also provided with shaft-bearings 42, which accommodate the actuatingshaft 43, the latter being disposed below and parallel to the shiftable shaft 41.' The shaft 43 is equipped with elliptical gears 44, having intermeshing engagement with the spur-gears 45, secured on the shiftable shaft 41. The shaft 43 may be driven by a pulley and belt, as shown by Fig. 2, and this shaft is thus adapted to rotate the elliptical gears 44, which impart the traversing movement to the shaft 41. On this shaft 41 are loosely fitted the lower ends of links 46, which have pivotal connection with adjustable blocks 47, that are secured to the swinging frames 13,and the sliding or up-and-downmovement of the shaft 41 is communicated by the links 46 to the swinging frames 13, whereby the set of feedrolls is given a traversing movement relatively to the surface of the picker-cylinder. By pivotally mounting the swinging frames 13 for movement in an arc concentric with the axis of the shaft 7 the frames are adapted toswing in an arc concentric with said shaft, and the construction and arrangement herein described secures a traversing movement of the set of feed-rolls in an arcuate path relative to the periphery of the picker-cylinder.

Any suitable or preferred means may be adopted to feed the wool'into the set of feedrolls; but I prefer to employ the endless carrier 47. (Shown by Figs. 1, 2, and .3 of the drawings.) This endless carrier is represented of the slatted variety, and it is s'upportedby a pair of drums or rollers 48 49. The roller 48 is secured firmly to a shaft 50, which is journaled in bearings 51 on the upstanding arms 52, attached to the swinging frames 13,

(see Fig. 1,) and this shaft of the roller 48 is provided at one end with a spur-gear 53, the latter having intermeshing engagement with a spur-gear 54, secured firmly to the shaft 20 of the intermediate feed-roll 11, whereby this shaft is driven directly from the feed-roll shaft 20 in a way to impart traveling movement to the slatted carrier &7 The other drum or roller 49 of the carrier is an idle roller, and it is secured to a shaft 55, which is mounted in slidable bearings 56, the latter being loosely fitted in the slots 57 of the stationary posts 58 of the machine-frame. The shafts 50 and of the driving and idler drums 48 49 are maintained in fixed and parallel relation by the extensible arms 59, each arm consisting of two sections which are coupled by the threaded'sleeves 60. Said sleeves make provision for the endwise adjustment of the members forming the arms, and each arm has one end fitted loosely on the shaft 50 of the driving-drum 48, while the other end of the arm is fitted loosely on the'shaft 55 of 'the idler-drum 49. The adjustable bearings 56 and the extensible arms 59 make provision for the stretching of the endless slatted carrier to take up any slack therein.

It will be noted that the inner delivery end of the slatted carrier is supported by adrumshaft that is mounted on the swinging frames 18, while the idle drum-shaft is supported by movable bearings. This construction and arrangement allows the slatted carrier to swing with the traversing movement imparted to traversing movement of the feed-roll frame.

The endless carrier thus preserves its operative relation to the set of feedrolls,.and the wool deposited on or supplied to the carrier is adapted to be delivered thereby at all times to said set of feed-rolls.

For most purposes it is advisable to drive the feed-rolls of the. set or group-in such a manner that their peripheral speed is less than that oflthe picker-cylinder; but of course the feed-rolls must be driven at such peripheral speed that they will operate to secure continuous feeding of the wool to the picker-cylinder. The wool is carried in the-well-known manner from the belt to the feed-rolls, and these rolls in turn supply the wool to the picker-cylinder 8,, the latter rotating at a speed somewhat faster than the feed-rolls and operating tocatch the wool by. means of the teeth will be laid comparatively straight before "tive to the picker-cylinder.

passing to the picker-cylinder. Assuming that the swinging feed-roll frame is at the lower limit of its travel and that the feed-rolls and the picker-cylinder are in service, the shaft 43 is driven to make the elliptical gears impart the traversing movement in an upward direction to the feed-rolls and the frame rela- Some of the wool contained on the toothed surfaces of the roll 10 will be caught by the working surface of g the picker cylinder, and as this roll 10 is moved upwardly and as it also rotates in an opposite direction to the picker-cylinder the fiber will be drawn out, because the wool for a certain length of time is subjected to the action of the quickly*turning saw-like teeth on the picker-cylinder and also to the pulling action of the set of feed-rolls having the traversing movement relative to the cylinder, whereby the fibers Without being caught or torn are stretched and are arranged straight and parallel, and in this manner the wool is thor-' oughly cleaned from burs, dirt, and other impurities, which preparation of the wool greatly facilitates the subsequent carding thereof. When the wool lies on the picker-cylinder in the form of loose fleece, any dirt still remaining in it can be easily removed by the blast of air from a fan 61. is journaled in appropriate bearings adapted to be driven by any suitable devices, and said fan is inolosed within a suitable casing 62, as shown by Fig. 1. The Wool may be taken off the picker-cylinder in any way and by suitable forms of devices known to those skilled in the art to which this invention relates; but as the present improvements have no connection with the wool-removing devices I'have not considered it necessary for the purposes of this specification to show and describe any kild of clearing devices for the picker-cyl- 1n er.

'In the construction shown by Figs. 8 and 9 the parts are arranged in a somewhat different way for the purpose of imparting the traversing movement to the set of feed-rolls in a straight path substantially at a tangent to the periphery of the picker-cylinder. On the bridge 38 of the machine-frame are erect- The shaft of this fan ICC ed vertical stationary guides 63, adapted to receive the cross-heads 40, the same being provided with bearings for the reception of the shiftable shaft 41. Said shaft is provided with gears 45, having intermeshing engagement with elliptical gears 4L4 on the shaft 4:3",

'journaled in suitable bearings of the frame.

of the large feed-roll, and this shaft is operatively connected with the shiftable shaft 4:1 by the frame 65, the latter having loose connection with the shafts 41 and 17 and adapted to support the large feed-roll, together with the parts that cooperate therewith. The crossheads 64:. are equipped with transverse bars 66, adapted to move or slide with the crossheads. Loosely connected with the feed-roll shaft 17 a are the pairs of links 67 68, and these links are disposed in oppositely-inclined positions to extend across the bars 66, said links having pivotal connection at 69 with said bars 66. The links 67 extend above the large feed-roll and support or carry the shaft of the intermediate feed-roll 11, while the other links, 68, support the shaft of the small feedroll 12. These feed-rolls are disposed or grouped in the order heretofore described with reference to the feed mechanism shown by Figs. 1 to 4:, inclusive; but I prefer to employ other forms of gearing, whereby the set of feed-rolls may be driven from the rotary and shiftable shaft 41". This shaft is provided with a spur gear-pinion 70, with which meshes a large gear 71 on the shaft 17 of the large feed-roll, and with this feed-roll shaft 17 is associated a train of gears for driving the intermediate and smaller feedrolls. n the shaft 17 is secured a gearwheel 7 2, which meshes with a gear-wheel 73 on the roll-shaft 20, and a gear-wheel 74 on the roll-shaft 23 meshes with said gear 72, (see Fig. 10,) said gearing being arranged to drive the rolls 11 and 12 in the same direction, while the large roll 10 rotates in an opposite direction to said rolls l1 and 12. The employment of the adjustable links 67 68 allows the feed-rolls to be adjusted to difierent positions relatively to each other.. The operation of the mechanism shown by Figs. 8 and 9 is similar to that of the mechanism shown by Figs. 1 to 4, inclusive, and need not be further described.

I find by practical use of the machine that.

The large feed-roll 10 of my machine rotates at a speed less than that of the pickercylinder and in an opposite direction thereto, and this roll, alongwith the remaining feedrolls of the set, is moved in a path adjacent to the surface of the picker-cylinder, so that the wool will be drawn out and combed by the teeth on the surfaces of the cylinder and the feed-roll 10, the wool being caught on and retained by the teeth of said roll 10 for a period sufiicient to secure the desired drawing and combing thereof.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1. A wool pickingaud burring machine having a picker-cylinder, a set of feed-rolls adja= cent to said picker-cylinder, and means for imparting a traversing movement to said set of feed-rolls relatively to the active surface of said cylinder.

2. A WOOl picking and burring machine having a picker-cylinder, a set of feed-rolls of different sizes, and means for bodily impart ing a traversing movement to the entire set of feedrolls relative to the picker-cylinder.

3. A wool picking and burring machine having a picker-cylinder, a set of feed-rolls, means for imparting a traversing movement to said feed-rolls in a path concentric with the active surface of the cylinder, and a suitable blower arranged to direct a blast of air against the material on the cylinder.

4. A wool picking and burring machine having a picker-cylinder, a swinging support movable on an axis coincident with that of the cylinder, a set of feed-rolls carried by said swinging support and movable therewith in a path concentric with the active surface of the cylinder, and mechanism for positively moving the support and the set of feed rolls to impart a traversing movement thereto.

5. A wool picking and burring machine having a picker-cylinder, a feed-roll of large diameter adjacent thereto, another feed-roll 00- operating with the first-named feed -roll, a small feed-roll disposed between the pickercylinder and the other two feed-rolls, means for supporting all the feed-rolls of the set, and means for bodily shifting the support and the set of feed-rolls relative to the cylinder.

. 6. In a wool picking and burring machine, the combination with a picker-cylinder, of a swinging support, a set of feed-rolls mounted on the support, one ofsaid feed-rolls being disposed between the picker-cylinder and the other feed-rolls of the set, a doffing brush carried by the support, and means for imparting traversing. movement to said support and the feed-rolls and dofiing-brush thereon.

7 In a wool picking and burring machine, the combination with a picker-cylinder, of a set of feed-rolls, means for imparting a traversing movement to said feed-rolls relative to the picker-cylinder, and a feed device shiftable with said feed-rolls.

8. In a wool picking and burring machine, the combination with a picker-cylinder, of a set of feed-rolls, means for imparting a traversing movement to said feed-rolls relative to the picker-cylinder, and an endless carrier having one end connected with a part of the feedroll mechanism and shiftable with said feedrolls in its traversing movement.

9. In a wool picking and burring machine, the combination With a picker-cylinder, of a movable feed-roll carrier, a set of feed-rolls mounted in said carrier, means for imparting movement to the carrier and the feed-rolls in a Way to secure a traversing movement of the feed-rolls relative to the picker-cylinder, an endless carrier, a conveyer driving roller mounted on said shiftable carrier and geared to one of said feed-rolls, and an idler conveyerroller operatively fitted to the endless con- 5 veyer and serving as the axis of motion of the conveyer in its adjustment with the feed-roll carrier, one of said .conveyer-rollers being adjustable to maintain the conveyer in a taut condition.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of tWo subscribing Witnesses.

GEORGES PROUVOT.

Witnesses:

ALFRED O. HARRISON, D. SMITH. 

